Arc System Works is well known for their fighting game series – in particular, the Guilty Gear series and the BlazBlue series. Now, they're releasing a new adventure game that is linked to the BlazBlue games.

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XBlaze: Code Embryo is a visual novel set to come out in Japan this upcoming July. As stated above, the game is "linked" to the BlazBlue game series world, though does not necessarily take place in the same world. So while people well versed with the fighting game series may encounter key words, events, or even characters they find familiar, XBlaze is meant as a stand-alone game/story – which means there's no need for fighting game novices to trudge through the other games beforehand.

The story centers around the fantastical adventures of an ordinary high school student who, through a series of events, encounters a mysterious girl in a quarantine zone. The game features a colorful cast of characters, most of whom look like they belong in a fighting game of their own.

Unlike most visual novels, XBlaze will apparently not have the standard choice selection system. Instead, there will be an in-game information-gathering system and how this system and the information gathered is utilized will determine the player's fate.

XBlaze: Code Embryo is scheduled for release on July 25th in Japan. No word on an international release, but the visual novel aspect of the game makes that possibility somewhat slim. The game will be for the PlayStation 3 and the PS Vita.

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Interestingly, the game will not be released on the PSP – an indicator that at least in Japan, some publishers are gaining enough confidence in the Vita that they are beginning to let go of its predecessor.

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